Trees play a big role in the fight against climate change: They can soak up carbon dioxide from the air and store it for centuries in the form of biomass. But it turns out that trees could be doing even more.
In 2023, Science Friday covered how the company Living Carbon had genetically engineered poplar trees to have a more efficient photosynthesis process. This allowed the trees to grow twice as fast and store 30% more carbon biomass than regular poplars, making them ideal for the carbon credit market.
Recently, researchers at the University of Maryland also experimented with genetically modifying poplar trees. But this time, they had a different goal in mind. They modified the tree to reduce the amount of lignin in its wood. This made the wood stronger without the need for harsh chemical processing. It also slowed the deterioration rate of the wood, which allows it to store carbon for longer periods.
To explain more about this “super wood,” SciFri guest host Sophie Bushwick is joined by the lead plant geneticist on the study Dr. Yiping Qi, associate professor at Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland.
Further Reading
- Read more about how scientists are experimenting with lignin, this time for flame retardants.
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Segment Guests
Yiping Qi
Dr. Yiping Qi is an associate professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Sophie Bushwick
@sophiebushwickSophie Bushwick is senior news editor at New Scientist in New York, New York. Previously, she was a senior editor at Popular Science and technology editor at Scientific American.
About Andrea Valeria Diaz Tolivia
@AndreaValeriaDTAndrea Valeria Diaz Tolivia is a radio production fellow at Science Friday. Her topics of interest include the environment, engineering projects, science policy and any science topic that could make for a great sci-fi plot.